A thought about writing a mortising routine...

[Brian H.]

I've never done something like this before but maybe someone else has...

I want to figure out if there's a way to write a mortising routine (with or without V-Carve Pro) where I can just center the spindle over the center of the mortise location and run a mortising program from that location, without re-zeroing the x and y. Then, I can just bounce around, creating mortises anywhere very quickly.

...sounds plausible, right? Anyone have an idea how to accomplish this?

[michael_schwartz]

I have done something slightly different by drawing the part, and laying out the mortise in part works. Then I use this same geometry to create a file to cut the mortise, that is used to cut pocket in a fixture, to index the part. did 16 mortises in 8 table legs this way, in about 30 minutes.

You could certainly do what your trying to accomplish without writing too much code.

[garyc]

Brian...
Fairly easy to do if you are familiar with SB programming. All dados can be specified as rectangles, with a depth, and with or without pocketing.

Study up on the [C] [R] command.

Here is an example of dados and drilling using SB code instead of design software: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fk_zWioyvQs&list=UUl3fUyY3Nq1H5E9wEAzld2Q&index=10&feature=plcp

[curtiss]

Can you set up several rectangles that are the common sizes of your mortises with 0,0 in the center of the rectangle ?

From there, set the cut depth to say, 1 inch, which could be changed to the proper fraction on the z after calling up the file to run.

It would seem you would have to zero the x y after you move the bit above the center of the area you want to cut. .

[beacon14]

If you draw a rectangle centered at 0,0, and create a pocketing toolpath for it that creates a single mortise, the way you want it cut (pass depth, stepover, etc.), then save the toolpath file, you can then run that file in 2D Offset Mode to create one of those mortises wherever the bit happens to be. You can even specify the x and y proportions to adjust the size of the mortise slightly to get a perfect fit.

[rhfurniture]

I did that when I first started, as I had to exit the morticer to make room for the shopbot, however it is ages since I used it, as all my projects start out in autocad, which now also outputs all my shopbot code. However you do it, the tool has to know where the wood is, so I did it all from a zero fence, but had it so you could just fill in the numbers on-screen for length, width, depth and distances from zero. I still use something similar for tenons.

Ralph.

[Brian H.]

Thanks, everyone! I think I have the idea now. I'll try the shopbot code for an adjustable mortise location project, and probably a static mortiser for some furniture projects. This is meant for some shop fixtures and shelves made mainly out of 2x4s, with some thin, white panels dadoed in on the sides to dress it up. They turn out strong, versatile, and inexpensive! And I can easily mount wheels on the bottom to make them mobile. Had to stop and make some money, though. I'll revisit this after the orders are finished!